2 days Ago By Holly Evans
A common vaginal condition which affects nearly a third of women across the globe may actually be a sexually transmitted infection ( STI ), a new research has shown. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) can lead to infertility , premature births and newborn deaths, with a new Australian study published in the New England Journal of Medicine claiming that it is spread during intercourse and fits the definition of an STI. Under NHS guidance, it says BV is caused by a change in the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina , and is not an STI although it can be triggered by intercourse.
The condition is a common cause of vaginal discharge that has a strong smell, and usually is seen as greyish or can be thin and watery in consistency. Around half of women with BV do not have any symptoms and it does not usually cause discomfort, but can be treated with antibiotics or cream. The latest trial, run by Monash University and Alfred Health researchers at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, said that treating sexual partners and not just the patient is key to clearing the infection.
A group of 164 couples with BV were assessed, which found that by treating BV as an STI and giving both sexual partners the antibiotics, rather than just the women, they were able to achieve higher cure rates. To test their theory, half of the men received an oral antibiotic and a topical antibiotic cream to apply to the skin for one week, while another group were given no medication. The findings found that BV recurrence was halved using the first approach.
One of the lead researchers, Prof Catriona Bradshaw, said: "Our trial has shown that reinfection from partners is causing a lot of the BV recurrence women experience, and provides evidence that BV is in fact an STI. "Part of the difficulty in establishing whether BV is sexually transmitted has been that we still don't know precisely which bacteria are the cause, but advances in genomic sequencing are helping us close in on that mystery.” The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV said the findings provided "valuable evidence supporting what has long been suspected – that BV-associated bacteria may be sexually transmitted, particularly in those who experience recurrent infections".
"This research enhances our understanding of BV and offers promising insights that may help to guide treatment approaches in more persistent cases," said a spokesperson..
